Seeds of The Seven (Rubia)

44. A Father's Farewell

As Elelly's wedding dropped into the marbled floor of La Mina Castle, it's soft tinkle seemed to echo through Aiden's mind, bringing him to his final moments were a whirlwind of icy brilliance and unrelenting darkness. As his breath grew shallow, his memory took him back to that fateful battle, where he stood against the twin demon sisters, Lilith and Lithany.

...Grabbed his ice orbs into his thigh bag, Aiden unleashed his final ice orbs, casting them to the ground. The orbs exploded in a flurry of frost, rising from the earth to form a gigantic shield and a massive ice sword in his hands. Another orb shattered against the ground , encasing him in a suit of crystalline armor, glistening with an ethereal blue light.

The sisters, Lilith and Lithany, watched him with perverse delight, their eyes glinting with dark amusement. Lilith, her schythe gleaming wickedly, launched herself at Aiden. Her strikes were swift and brutal, while Lithany cast dark spells from the shadows, constricting him, slowing his movements, making it harder to fight them both.

Aiden fought with his all might, his ice sword clashing against Liliths's schythe, his shield absorbing blow after blow. But the relentless assault and the twin's coordination began to take their toll. Blood dripped from deep gashes in his flesh, but not from the scythe of Lilith but from the magic of Lithany, staining the ice beneath his feet. His breath came into ragged gasps, his vision blurring with exhaustion.

With a final devastating strike, Lilith shattered his ice armor, the shards scattering like diamonds. Disarmed and defenseless, Aiden knew his end was near. As Lilith raised her schythe for the killing blow, he let the red and blue heart-shaped gem slip from his fingers, his wedding ring.

But the end he anticipated did not come. Instead, Lithany's magic bound him, freezing him in place. The twins circled him like predators, their seductive laughter echoing in the battlefield. They took their time, inflicting pain with a sadistic pleasure, each wound is a testament to their cruelty.

Now in the ground, bound and helpless, he endured the relentless torture, every fiber of his being screaming for mercy. Yet, amid the torment, his thoughts drifted to the only solace he had left: memories of his beloved daughter Eliya and wife Elelly.

His mind transported him to the tranquil beaches of Guigta, in the western-south region of Rubia. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the sound of waves gently lapping at the shore filled the air with a serene melody. In this precious memory, Eliya, only five years old, sat atop Aiden's shoulders, her laughter a sweet symphony that echoed across the beach.

"Hold on tight, Liya!" Aiden called out, his voice filled with joy as he splashed through the shallow water.

Eliya giggled, her small hands gripping his hair as she gleefully splashed salt water down upon them both. "Faster, Daddy! Faster!"

Aiden's heart swelled with love, his laughter mingling with hers. Elelly watched them from the shore, her eyes shimmering with happiness and contentment. She waved, her smile radiant, as the two most important people in her life shared this moment of pure bliss.

But the sweet memory was abruptly shattered by a surge of pain, dragging Aiden back to the dark reality of his imprisonment. Lithany's cruel laughter echoed, her magic tightening around him like a vice.

Through gritted teeth and the haze of agony, Aiden's thoughts returned to his family. "Eliya... I'm so sorry," he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper. "I wasn't strong enough... I couldn't protect you from the dangers ahead."

His mind replayed Elelly's gentle touch, her loving gaze, and the way she had always believed in him. "Elelly," he continued, his voice cracking with emotion, "I failed you... as a husband, and as a protector."